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Letter written by George W. Pearl, private in the 117th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company C and F, from Camp at Whitehouse, June 25, 1863

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Letter written by George W. Pearl, private in the 117th New York Volunteer
Infantry Regiment, Company C and F, from Camp at White House, Virginia, on June
25, 1863, recipient unknown: a machine readable transcription

We laid at
Yorktown (Yorktown,
Virginia)
till this morning at three O clock when
we were ordered to strike our tents for a march. We did not march
a great way -- only down to the
Yorktown (Yorktown,
Virginia)
wharf. There we got aboard the
Transport. ( John
Brooks (Brooks, John) ) and
started for White House (White House,
Virginia)
18 miles east
of Richmond (Richmond,
Virginia)
we arrived here about 3 oclock The
Rebs had torn up the R. Road here a little ways. They have built a
battery here on a branch of the road to run a car with a large gun
to use on our Gun boats when they came up the

PAGE IMAGERiver. Night before last some of our forces
drove them away from here. There were about 400 of their Cavalry
Perhaps you will wonder how they were driven away and why the gun
wasnt captured. the reason was they had not got their Battery
completed and did not run the gun up here only in the daytime &
took it back nights. Our Marines have burnt the wood work in the
Battery. It was a pivot platform for the Gun car to run onto I
have just been out and picked a pint of Blackberrys (blackberries). As we came up the
[Pomunky]
River (Pomunky? River) I saw
fields of oats harvested and in PAGE IMAGEthe [shock] . Our whole division
will be here by morning I dont know the exact number of men in
it, but I think between six & ten thousand perhaps more. The
103d N. York brass Band (103rd New York Brass
Band)are out playing which seems like home. They
are now playing a piece of church music Saturday June 26th/63 Troops have been comeing (coming)in all night. There are 20,000 here now &
Genl.
Keyes (Keyes, Erasmus Darwin (General)) &
Dix (Dix, John Adams (General))
was here this morning I have just come in from inspection.
Evelyn
Kinnie (Kinnie, Evelyn) was here
to see me to day (today)his Battery is camped haff (half)amile (a mile) to the left. The house where
Washington (Washington, George (General)) was married is a few rods in PAGE IMAGEthe rear of our camp Sunday
28th/63 I am about a mile from camp on picket.
Gen
Dix (Dix, John Adams (General)) & staff passed
here a few moments ago He is an old gray headed man & a noble
looking GenlI saw Lieut
Walter
Stocking (Stocking, Walter
(Lieutenant)) at
Yorktown (Yorktown,
Virginia)
. He looked well and the boys in his
Battery like him first rate. Geo
Mannering (Mannering, George) &
Charley
Sumner (Sumner, Charley) are under him
There are three lines of pickets out besides the reserve. I am on
the reserve. The first line is cavalry the rest infantry